Unavowed
by Steele.Hearts33
Summary: Ana was ten when she knew how her life would be. Then at fifteen it was shattered. It took six years to pick up the pieces and carve a new future, but it's a future she doesn't want. He's not the one she wants, but he holds all the cards. Can she get out of his grasp? Who will protect her? Will the one she truly loves stop her from making the mistake of her life?
1. Prologue

1/18/18

 **A/N: This is the new story I mentioned in my author's note for the last chapter of A Steele Love. I needed to get this down and out there. It's a story that won't stop swimming around in my head. I don't know when or how often I will update this story but here it is. It's going to be a different Christian and Ana. Some of Christian's back story will be the same, but the haphephobia will have been dealt with. There will be no history with Elena, other than her being a snotty bitch when Grace isn't around. Ana's parents are Ray and Carla Steele. They are still married. Ray's parents are alive and Ana has a special connection with her grandfather, who owns Seattle Independent Publishing. Christian still dropped out of college to start GEH, but he got the money from his grandfather when he showed him a solid business plan. Ana and Christian are the same age and Ana has just graduated college. They are both 21 at the start of this story.**

 **This is a prologue and the first few chapters will have a lot of flashbacks and backstory. Just hang with me and let me know what you think. I hope that you enjoy it.**

 **I don't own FSoG. I appreciate playing around with the characters and the inspiration that they provide for me. This has not been beta-ed. All mistakes are completely my own.**

 **Laters**

 **Unavowed**

May 18, 2018

"What are you doing here, Christian?" Ana looked at the first boy she ever loved with barely contained rage. "You need to leave before someone sees you. That means you go back out that window and down the tree and you never look back." Stood firmly with one arm stretched out toward her now open bedroom window pointing in the direction of his required exit.

"You know I can't do that Anastasia. You can't do this. You're making a mistake you'll regret for the rest of your life." Christian's grey eyes grew hard as he implored the only girl he's ever loved to rethink what she's about to do.

"The only thing I'm regretting is ever falling in love with you. Ever since that first day of kindergarten, you were my best friend. We knew at ten years old that we'd grow old together surrounded by our grandchildren. You were supposed to be my first everything, but you ruined it." Ana was standing in her pale pink robe having just stepped from the shower when Christian climbed through her window under the cover of darkness. Her arms crossed over her chest, Ana tried to maintain her steely resolve. "You told me you loved me and gave me a promise ring and when I wouldn't have sex with you, you left me at the lake. You didn't talk to me for two weeks and the next time I saw you Leila Williams was draped over you like a bad fungus. She didn't hesitate to tell everyone that she took your virginity. I had to move on. You did."

Christian is near tears seeing Ana's eyes glisten with the hurt even three years after the fact. "I know I hurt you. I was dumb and made a mistake. I was sixteen and didn't know what I was doing. Please don't do this Ana. I never stopped loving you. My life is shit without you. I've been miserable watching you these last three years with him. I couldn't watch it anymore. It's why I dropped out when I did. I threw myself into starting GEH. I needed to become something for you."

Ana's tears started to fall at this. "Christian, I never stopped wanting you, but what am I supposed to do? I've got 200 people expecting to see me walk down the aisle tomorrow. What do I do about him?"

Ana knew she didn't love her fiancé like she loved Christian, but she had been afraid of being alone in life. Truth was she was just afraid of him. She was surprised when he proposed on New Year's. Here it is was, a week after her graduation and she was supposed to marry the man she had fooled herself into loving. Nearly three years they dated, and she never had sex with him. Never stayed the night with each other, and she always sent him home at midnight.

"Leave him a note and pack a bag. I'll have us on a plane to Vegas before the sun rises." Christian looks hopeful and stands tall wiping the tears from his eyes. Walking toward Ana, Christian projects an air of confidence. Brushing the tears from Ana's cheeks he tilts her jaw toward his. "Come with me and I can make you my wife before the sun sets tomorrow. I know he's demanding you not take the editor position at your grandfather's publishing house. I'd never hold you back from your dreams, Ana. We could create a home and family together. Support each other in our pursuit of our dreams. Please, I need you."

Christian was pleading now. He wanted Ana to say yes. He couldn't bear the thought of her going through with the wedding tomorrow. He spent an hour beating a heavy bag in the gym of his apartment building when Mia told him that Ana had spent the day crying on her shoulder because Ana's fiancé demanded she stay at home and become a lady who lunches. He wanted a trophy wife to help him climb the corporate ladder. He also wanted access to Ana's trust fund. He knew about the fight they had because she agreed to let her dad push a prenup on him. What Christian, and no one else for that matter, knew was the Ana's fiancé expected Ana to participate in a domestic discipline relationship. Her back and ass bared the marks of his expectations. He gave her a demonstration just before their rehearsal dinner when she wouldn't wear the dress he picked out. It was too revealing in the cleavage department and Ana refused to dress like that.

"He'll be so upset with me. He's going to be embarrassed. Half of the people coming tomorrow are his clients or people he wants to invest with his firm. My dream of a small intimate wedding at my grandparents' lake house was turned into a corporate affair at the most exclusive country club in the city." Ana looks despondent thinking of the event her wedding has been turned into. She hates Seattle's elitist society and really, she only put twenty-six names on their guest lists; names that included all the Greys except Christian. "He'll look for me. He'll do whatever he can to find me. He won't just let me go."

"We can go to Tahoe instead of Vegas if you want. Get married at the lake there. I can make it happen Ana. Please say yes. Please forgive me for my teenage mistake. Please forgive me for not fighting harder for you. Please be my wife. I'll love and cherish you. I'll protect you and encourage you in your pursuits in life. I'll support you and enable you to succeed at everything you want to do. If you want children, we'll have them. If you want to wait, we will. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you Anastasia. I love you." Christian wrapped an arm around Ana's waist and dragged her body so that she was pressed flush with him. Christian brought his free hand up to brush her wet hair out of her face and behind her ear. "I'm going to kiss you now. Tell me no if you don't want it."

Ana, just wrapped a hand around Christian's neck and pressed her chest into his. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest, her breaths started to come in short pants and she leaned up on her toes toward him and pressed her lips to his. It was a tentative kiss. She hadn't kissed Christian in nearly six years. The minute Christian had his lips on her he was pressing harder. The uncertainty turning to passion that he'd never experienced.

Ana moaned and let his tongue slip into her mouth. She'd never kissed her fiancé so passionately. No man or boy had ever kissed her like this. Ana knew she couldn't go through with her wedding tomorrow. Not when she could have the love of her life back. Not when she could have the happily ever after that she has dreamed of since she was a little girl.

Christian tangled his tongue with Ana's, savoring the flavor that was unique to her. He didn't remember their kisses ever being this amazing. When they finally pulled away to catch their breath, both had tangled their hands in the other's hair. "Say yes Ana. We'll climb through the window together and start our forever after. I promise to give you everything you've ever wanted in this world."

"You know every twenty something woman in our circles will want to kill me for marrying you." Ana couldn't hide her smirk when she thinks of all the events they've attended over the years and the women that have thrown themselves at Christian.

"What are you saying?" Christian had pulled back from Ana completely and was looking at her with wide eyes. He had hope in his heart and he was afraid she was toying with him.

"Let me dress. We need to stop at the ATM because he'll track my cards. I'll buy clothes wherever we go." Ana pulled away and went straight to the dresser of her childhood room. Grabbing a pair of jeans, a light blue short-sleeved sweater and a set of white satin underwear. She dressed quickly not even thinking of the fact that Christian was watching.

When Ana turned back to Christian, she could see the rage building in his eyes. "Anastasia, what the hell happened to you?" Christian had crossed over the room to her and stared at her, afraid to touch her.

"He showed me how he expects our marriage to go. I refused to wear a dress that barely covered my chest to the rehearsal dinner." It was all Ana could say. She would tell him more later but right now she wanted to get out of the house before her fiancé could show up or before her mother found Christian in her room. Her dad would likely help them escape, but her mother, Carla Steele would murder Christian to save face tomorrow at what she wanted to be the Seattle society event of the year.

"Let me write a note." She grabbed a sheet of paper from her desk and quickly wrote a note to her fiancé.

 ** _I'm sorry. This isn't right._**

 ** _It's not what I want._**

 ** _You're not what I want._**

She didn't bother signing her name. She left it with her large ring in the center of her perfectly made bed. Her mother would find it in the morning. She dropped her phone next to it so they couldn't track it.

"Will your security be able to keep him from finding us?" Ana feared what would happen to her and what would happen to Christian if her fiancé found them. She'd seen a side of him that she never wanted to see again today. She was scared for her life during that dinner. She barely spoke and had picked at the food on her dinner plate.

"We'll be safe. I promise you I'll do everything I can to show you that you'll be secure. We can do this. I'll text my guy and he'll get us a private plane. I'll make the arrangements. We'll stay a week. We'll get married and have a short honeymoon and figure everything out. I promise it will be okay." Christian knew there was more going on. He could sense that Ana really was scared, he just wasn't sure what she was afraid of. Walking to the window, Christian extended his hand to his love. "Ladies first."

Out the window they climbed. Ana was with the man she never stopped wanting. Would they be safe from that man she never truly desired, but settled for? The man had blackmailed her into their marriage. Would he follow through on his threats? Ana would have to tell Christian the full truth. He deserved no less. She hoped he understood and could keep his promise to keep her safe. The would have to keep their marriage unavowed to stay safe.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: I can't believe the overwhelming response to this story. I thought I would be able to hold off on it till Submissive Beginning was completed, but I can't. Over 200 follows and over 100 favorites. 52 of you reviewed. I don't think I've ever had that big a response for a single chapter. You humble me. Thank you, truly, thank you.**

 **I'm not sure how long this story will go, but it will stay surrounded by mystery for much of the story. Toss in your guesses as to what's going on. I want to know if anyone has figured it out yet.**

 **I don't own FSoG. All mistakes are mine, this chapter has not been beta-ed. BTW, Grey Vitals is updating today. ;)**

 ** _**Trigger Warning: There is a scene that involves what I deem abuse. I understand that there are those in the world that practice domestic discipline in their relationships. That's fine as long as all parties are consenting. This is not the case with my story. Ana is being blackmailed into a marriage she knows she doesn't want. She's being told that this is the way things are going to be and not given a choice to say no. Her inability to stop what happens to her makes it abuse. There will be a line break around the trigger if you would like to skip it._**

 **Unavowed**

Chapter 1

 _August 2001_

 _"Class, we have a late starter today. I want you all to welcome him kindly. Christian is a special young man and I need you to pay attention. Try not to touch him, he doesn't like that. Also, when you talk to him, he may not talk back. Be patient with him. Be kind and make him feel welcomed." Mrs. Buckley talked to her class of kindergartners warmly. She had met with Carrick and Grace Grey last week. She felt that the child should wait a year, till he was more verbal to start school, especially considering his life before his adoption six months ago, before entering a classroom. Dr. Grace Grey was determined not to hold him behind and insisted he was smarted than most five-year-olds, he just needed a chance. Mrs. Buckley had scoffed, every parent thought their kid was a genius._

 _Anastasia Steele had watched from her spot at the blue diamonds' table a small boy with bushy copper colored hair entered the classroom. Mrs. Buckley talked to the mother and then showed the boy to a seat next to Ana at her table._

 _"Class this is Christian. Everyone say Hello to Christian." There was a chorus of hellos and hi's throughout the classroom. The child waved shyly but said nothing. Mrs. Buckley showed the mother where to place his backpack and walked back to the front of the class._

 _Ana, with her long straight mousy brown hair and blue eyes, looked over her new desk neighbor. His grey eyes darted all around the classroom taking everything in. She waited till his eyes settled on him before she spoke. "Hi, I'm Ana. The teacher said you don't talk. That's okay. I like to talk so you can listen. I think you'll be my new best friend."_

 _And so, it began. Everyday, Ana talked to Christian, never hearing his voice respond to hers. They spent all their time at recess together, and Ana quickly became his protector when the older kids would pick on him. After school, she would beg her mother to go to his house, where they would spend hours reading silently next to each other, never quite touching, or playing Christian's favorite game, Memory. He always won, never forgetting where a card was place._

 _When the school year was over, they both recognized each other as their best friend, even if Christian still wouldn't talk. He'd smile or give Ana a certain look and she knew what he meant._

Present day: May 18, 2018

Ana and Christian rushed around her house and took the path through her parents' neighbor's yard. The same route they always took when sneaking out to the other's house. When they exited Mr. and Mrs. Townsend's yard, Christian rushed to a waiting black SUV. Opening the back door, Christian nearly shoved Ana in.

"Taylor, we need to make arrangements to get out of town before the sun rises, and to do it untraced. We're thinking Lake Tahoe. Seems I'm getting married tomorrow." Christian beamed at his head of security. Looking down at Ana, Christian held her hand in his tightly afraid to let go.

"Are you sure this is what you want Christian? Do you really want to be stuck with me? It could get messy and ugly. I don't know what he'll do when he finds out I'm gone." Ana was fearful of the repercussions that could befall her family. She was more fearful of what her life would become if she went through with the nuptials and married her blackmailing fiancé.

"I've never been more sure of anything. When we get to my place, I want to introduce you to someone. She'll help you with whatever you need. Then we can talk and figure everything out that we need. You have a few things to explain, and so do I. But know this Anastasia, I love you and I always have. I was an idiot, but it didn't mean I stopped loving you." Christian needed to reassure her. He'd never seen Ana so broken down, so insecure, so submissive. She had always been the driving force in their relationship, the more dominant one. She was the one who declared at ten years old they would marry when they graduated college. She had kissed him first when they were twelve and told him he needed to tell Rebecca Andrews that she couldn't be his girlfriend, but Christian was Ana's boyfriend.

"I will tell you everything, but I'm scared Christian. Something hasn't been right with him in a long while, and I don't know what he'll do. You may be a billionaire, but he'll find a way to find us and make me pay. Even if we manage to run off and get married without him knowing, what do we do when we return. It could be even more dangerous if he knew I left him for you. I've wanted to call you so often, but he knew. He knew I still oved you and threatened you if I contacted you. I don't want anything to happen to you." Ana broke down into sobs once more and Christian once again gathered her in his arms to try and soothe her.

"I've tried to call you weekly for the last year. My tech guy found out two weeks ago, that every one of my numbers had been blocked from your phone. I even tried calling from a burner phone, but it seems all unknown numbers were blocked. I thought at first it was your doing, then Welch discovered that your fiancé paid the bill and was the only one with access to do so." Christian continued to stroke her back trying to calm her. "He called me three days ago. I'm supposed to be in London right now. I'm not scheduled to return till the end of next week. He wanted to brag, thought it was funny I was going to be stuck overseas and unable to interrupt the nuptials. He bragged about stealing the letters I'd sent you and he confirmed he'd blocked my number."

Ana sat up straight and looked at Christian puzzled, Wiping the tears from her cheek with the back of her hand she asked, "What letters?"

"Ana, I've been sending you letters since I left school. I wanted you to know that I loved you and I hated seeing his slimy hands on you. I wanted to tell you all about GEH and what my plans were. How I was going to build it up and how we could have the life we always dreamed of together. I would rule the world of mergers and acquisitions, and you would rule the publishing world." Christian kissed the side of her head.

"My grandfather is never going to be able to look at me again Christian. He's going to be so disappointed in me, if he even still talks to me. I don't care about anything else, but I don't think I'll be welcomed at SIP when I return. I know I wouldn't be safe from him there if I did anyway." Christian can sense Ana's fear. There is more going on and her fiancé appears to be a real physical threat.

"What do you mean you wouldn't be safe at SIP. Your dad owns the best securities company in Washington. Why wouldn't you be safe?" Christian had employed Ray Steele to set up all the security at GEH when Elliot built his new building two years ago. Ray is the one that suggest Alex Welch for the position of Chief of Security at GEH and had helped him hire Jason Taylor as his close protection officer and Luke Sawyer as his second.

"SIP has a security system, but there are no guards and the cameras don't work in the stairwells or over the back entrance. The only covered areas are the server room and the front entrance. I can't tell you the number of times I've snuck in the back so steal a few manuscripts to read when Mom thought I was somewhere else." Ana thought about all the reports she had done over the years, the authors that would have never been discovered if she hadn't stolen their manuscript from the dead files room. It was her initiative that made her grandfather see how much she would succeed. He told her that Jerry Roach's fiction editor position was hers. He'd retired two months ago and they were holding the corner office for her.

Ana's grandfather, Bruce Steele, planned to retire in two years. In that time, he was turning over SIP to his beloved granddaughter. The only grandchild he had. Ana's father was an only child and Bruce had long given up hoping that he would follow in the family business. Ray just didn't like books, never did.

"Ana, I have an idea. You're going to be the editor right, but you'd said that your grandfather was going to turn SIP over to you, correct?" Christian's wheels were turning. It would make her secure and keep her close. He's just not sure who he has to convince.

"Well, I'll be the Lead Fiction Editor, but Papa's planning to step down in the next two years. I know I'm supposed to leave Wednesdays completely open to work with him. He plans to show me all how he does everything before he turns over his office to me. Frankly I wish he'd turn it over today. SIP is struggling. They are technologically behind and we're losing authors to online publishing houses. Ebooks are the future and Papa doesn't see it. What's your idea though?" Ana had so many plans to make the publishing house her grandfather built in the greatest publisher on the west coast.

"When we marry, what's mine is yours and what's your is mine. Right?" Christian wanted to share everything with Ana. If she didn't like his penthouse, he'd buy her whatever house she wanted. But if they shared everything, maybe she could find a way to move SIP to Grey House.

"Oh, Christian, I completely forgot. We signed a prenup. Ownership of SIP falls to me a year after our wedding. He's supposed to get control of all the company accounts after the honeymoon. My own mother is actually giving him a dowry to marry me. He gets a million dollars the day the marriage license is filed with the court clerk's office after the ceremony. He's going to be pissed. He was already telling me what sports car he was buying and how he planned to convince my dad to buy us a house in Bellevue as well. All he could talk about was how our marriage was going to bring in the big clients for him. The mayor is going to be there." Ana started to panic once again. She thought back to his behavior earlier in the day. Her breath started to come in short pants and She couldn't hear Christian anymore.

 _Earlier that day, before the rehearsal dinner_

 _"Ana, I've picked out your dress for tonight. That dress you picked out isn't going to work." Ana was in her robe next to her closet as her fiancé held a bag containing the new dress. She had done her hair and make up already and he had come to see what was taking her so long to get ready._

 _"What's wrong with the dress I picked? It matches the colors for tomorrow and mom said it was youthfully classic. She approved of it before I even made it to the register." Ana had spent days with her mother shopping. She never wanted to visit another high-end department store again._

 _"I don't care. I picked this out. I'll be picking all your outfits out from now on. We discussed this. You're going to come home from the honeymoon and tell your grandfather you've decided to be a stay at home wife as we're going to try and have a baby immediately, because he's going to need another heir to run the place. For now, we'll hire someone. We might need to fire everyone and hire new employees, so we can lower salaries, but we're going to milk that company dry or we can just sell it outright when ownership transfers to you. You're going to be on my arm for every business dinner and society event we're invited too. No more of this skipping shit. You're going to be the lady your mother raised you to be. But I want everyone to know that you're anything but a lady at home." With that her fiancé unzipped the garment bag revealed the skimpiest dress Ana had ever seen. It was short, white with a taupe edge. The dress was halter style and the only thing that would hold it together in the front is the taupe band around the middle. The dress was spilt all the way down to just about the naval. The back was low. She'd never be able to wear a bra, and panties weren't likely an option either._

 _"I can't wear this dress. And I didn't agree to any of that stuff you were talking about the other day." Ana was prepared to do anything to convince her fiancé that this wasn't the dress for her and this discipline thing he was talking about was not going to fly._

 _"You can and you will. I tried to explain this to you the other day. You will do as I say and if you don't I will punish you. That's what domestic discipline is, I am the man you no longer have a choice. If you argue with me any more on this I will give you a demonstration. I had promised to wait till after the wedding, but I'll start tonight if you don't wear the damn dress." His pupils were starting to dilate and his nostrils were flaring. Ana could see he was angry, but she was going to push. She couldn't wear that dress in front of her family._

* * *

 _"I said I would wear the dress I already bought." Ana turned from her fiancé to grab the other dress, ready to enter her bathroom and put it on. Before she could reach it though the bathroom though, her fiancé had grabbed her hair spun her around, slapped her face, and grabbed her arm twisting it around behind her._

 _"I told you I would give you a demonstration is you persisted. Honey, you've just made my night. I've waited months to do this." Her fiancé moved quickly, and Ana was bent over her bed, her left arm pinned under her body, while he held her down with the right arm pinned behind her back. She couldn't see what he was doing behind her, but she could hear the clinking of metal and the rustle of something. Ana was fearful and wondering if he was about to rape her when she felt her robe being lifted and pushed up to expose her behind._

 _Ana was going crazy, letting her thoughts run wild, when she felt the first lick of the belt across her lower back. "This is what you make me do. You don't obey, and you will be punished. There won't be any marks tonight, but thankfully I've seen your wedding dress. I know it will cover anything that shows up tomorrow. I'll enjoy seeing my reminder left on you when I undress you on our wedding night." He persisted taunting her as he thrashed the belt across her lower back, butt, and the tops of her legs. She silently counted as she sobbed. Ana struggled to get away from the pain._

* * *

 _When she reached ten he let dropped the belt and brushed her hair out of her face. "They might not always be this severe, sometimes you'll get my hand, sometimes you'll just stand in a corner, other times though sweetheart, I may have to restrain you and use a cane. The punishment will always fit the crime. Tonight however, I let my frustration get the better of me. I'm sorry baby." Ana's fiancé pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Get up and get dressed. Clean yourself up before your mother sees you like this."_

 _Ana was left alone in her room and broke down in more sobs. What had her life become?_

Present Time

"Ana, breathe baby. Calm down. You're safe, I'm here baby. No one is going to hurt you. You're safe." Christian was already reaching for his phone when Taylor informed them that they were pulling into the underground garage.

"Taylor, when we get in the elevator, call my mother and tell her she needs to come to the penthouse immediately. Tell her there's an emergency and to bring her bag. Hang up before you can give her anymore details. She'll understand." Ana passed out just as the SUV stopped in front of the elevator. Christian lifted her out and into the elevator. He wasn't sure what she was panicking about, but he would do everything in his power not to see her like that again.

Christian knew this had something to do with Ana's fiancé. He thought of the marks he saw on her body tonight. They were turning a deep purple and near black in some areas. She said he did that tonight. Christian vowed to make him pay and wondered if his dad was a good enough lawyer to get him off for a murder charge.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: I thank you all for the kind words and encouragement to continue this story. As a thank you here is another chapter. Completely un-beta-ed. All mistakes are my own.**

 **I own none of the FSoG characters or universe. I love making them into my own creations though. I'm going back to work on Christian's birthday party in Steele Love now.**

 **BTW, I could be persuaded to post another chapter before the week is over if the reviews for this chapter are high enough. Wink, Hint, Wink. Enjoy.**

 **Unavowed**

Chapter 2

 _November 2008_

 _"Christian, I'm telling you she likes you. Everyone at school knows. Her party tomorrow is her excuse to play spin the bottle with you. Jennifer McKinney says that Rebecca's parents aren't even going to be there; her older brother Josh is being left in charge, and he's only seventeen. You need to set her straight." Ana was furious. Jennifer McKinney had been in her face all throughout their morning classes. Rebecca Andrews was the first girl at Seattle Secondary Prepatory to really get big boobs. They all graduated from fifth grade in May and when they moved to middle school at the end of August, Rebecca had a c cup that she claims needed no tissue to fill. Since then she's had her sights set on Christian._

 _"Ana, you don't need to worry. Everyone knows you're the only girl for me. Your mom already said you could go with me, remember?" Christian doesn't know what to think about Ana's jealousy. He was pretty sure the girls knew that he and Ana were a match set._

 _"What my mother said doesn't matter in this instance. Dad said no the minute he heard Jennifer on the phone last night about Josh. I can't go with no adults there to supervise. If you go, Rebecca is determined to get you to feel her boobs and kiss her." By now Christian was trying to hide his smirk. Ana was running her fingers through her long brunette hair, much like Christian usually does._

 _"Then we won't go. Are you going to finish that?" Christian points to the other half of Ana's turkey and swiss sandwich. Each school day, Ana and Christian sit under the large oak tree on the east lawn of the school grounds for lunch. Rebecca and Jennifer had both been to visit them, and Rebecca had been sure to bend down so that Christian and Ana could see down her shirt._

 _Ana handed Christian her sandwich and then turned slightly to him, tugging her coat tighter around her little frame. "Do you want to go so that you can kiss Rebecca?" Ana's voice is small and Christian finally looks at her and sees the sadness there._

 _"Why would I want to kiss her? She's not my girlfriend." Christian sat thinking that if Rebecca was his girlfriend, he'd have to tell her to stop wearing the shirts she does. She lets every boy in school look at her boobs. Christian told her last week he didn't need to see them though, that's why he was adamant about not going to this birthday party without Ana._

 _"But she wants to be your girlfriend. Don't you understand Chris? Everyone at this school thinks I'm your nerdy little buddy. They don't know, or they just don't believe that we're getting married when we get older." Christian puts the last bite of the sandwich in his mouth and takes a drink of water before he speaks to Ana. When he's gathered his thoughts and ready to speak, he grabs Ana's hand and tugs so that she'll sit closer to him._

 _"Why do you say that? Everyone that knows us, knows that you're my girl and I'm your guy. That's why all the boys leave you alone. You're the prettiest girl at our school but I make sure the guys know that they can't have you." He threatened to kick Collin Schwartz in the nuts last week when he was talking about how Ana's butt looked in her skinny jeans during their gym class._

 _"Do you tell them I'm your girlfriend? Cause Jennifer said that I'm not. She said that I can't be your girlfriend if you've never kissed me, that I'm in the friend zone and that makes you fair game for Rebecca." By now, Ana is gaining a little more of her confidence back. Her and Christian have always talked about everything, even when he didn't talk back, Ana still told him all her secrets._

 _"Well we've never said boyfriend or girlfriend when referring to each other. Is that what you want?" Christian was almost panicked. He didn't know what she would say. If she said no, he was certain that his life would end._

 _Ana looked up at Christian and smiled. She scooted next to him, to that their legs were touching on the blanket they sat upon under their tree. "Of course, I do." With that, Ana leaned forward and placed a kiss directly to Christian's lips. She would be sure to tell Jennifer and Rebecca that she and her boyfriend would not make the party. Ana planned to put emphasis on the boyfriend, but she couldn't think about anything else right now. "Be sure and tell Rebecca you can't come to her party because you're watching a movie with your girlfriend."_

 _When Ana tried to pull away, Christian wrapped a hand around Ana's neck and pulled her lips back to his. He was sure they would get detention for PDA, but he didn't care. Ana was his girlfriend and he was going to enjoy this first kiss._

* * *

May 18, 2018

"Taylor what's going on? Is Gail alright?" Grace was flustered when she and Carrick walked off the elevator into Christian's penthouse at Escala. She always thought this place needed a woman's touch. She just didn't think Christian would ever find a woman. Carrick had told Grace that Ana looked miserable last week when they saw her. Carrick was convinced that Ana didn't want to get married, but Grace thought it was just wishful thinking, wanting her to be with Christian instead.

"This way Mrs. Grey and you'll see. Mr. Grey, I would advise you to come as well. We may need some of your expertise." Taylor led the older Grey couple to Christian's bedroom as he thought of what Christian had told him while waiting for the Greys to arrive. Taylor didn't know Ana, but he didn't like to think about any woman being hit.

"Taylor what are we doing her? This is Christian's roo…" Grace couldn't finish her sentence when Taylor opened the door and she found a sleeping Ana and a crying Christian on his bed.

"Mom?" Christian looked up at the first woman to ever love him. She was his Angel and she loved him the minute she saw him in that Detroit ER.

It was Carrick who spoke up though. "Christian, son, we thought you were in London. What's going on? Why is Ana here? She's supposed to be marrying that punk tomorrow?" Carrick never liked the boy. He remembers the party Mia snuck away to attend with Ana at the University. Mia was a fifteen-year-old at the time still and when she came home she was starry eyed over the boy. He was convinced Mia lost her virginity to him, but he rejected her after that and pursued Ana with vigor. Carrick always thought he was a weasel and after something, he just didn't know what. Ana's fiancé had put a wedge between the two friends, and for that, Carrick would never forgive him.

"I came home to talk Ana out of making the biggest mistake of her life. When I got to her, we talked. She doesn't want to marry him. She's being blackmailed by him though and her mother is basically buying her marriage with him." Christian was almost in a panic now and looked up at his mother. "Mom, Ana started to have a panic attack and passed out when we got here. That was about fifteen minutes ago."

"Let me look at her son." Grace moved to the side of the bed that held Ana. She pulled out her stethoscope to listen to her breathing while she held a wrist and counted the beats of her heart. Next Grace pulled a blue Velcro cuff from her bag and proceeded to check her blood pressure. After that, Grace grabbed a small vial from her back. She snapped it between her fingers and shook it before pulling the top off and waving it under Ana's nose.

Ana's eyes popped open and when she saw Grace and Christian's faces she burst into tears. "It wasn't a dream. You really came for me?" Ana sat up and threw her arms around Christian's neck. He pulled her into his lap. Christian whispered sshhhs to her to calm her down. When he went to stroke her lower back like he used to for years, she flinched. Grace picked up on it right away.

"Ana is something wrong with your back?" Ana buried her head in Christian's neck, nodding in the affirmative. Christian looked his mother in the eye as he inched Ana's shirt up to reveal the bruising that was lining her skin. Gasps filled the room, not just from Grace, but Taylor and Carrick as well.

"Mom, they're across her butt and the tops of her legs as well. He used a belt on her this evening before their rehearsal dinner." Carrick was pulling his phone out ready to call the police. Christian wasn't sure that was a good idea, so he had to speak up. "Dad you can't call the cops. If they do, then that Bastard will know Ana's not at home. Right now, we can't have him suspect anything until tomorrow morning when her mother finds the note and Ana's engagement ring. Ana's going to need some legal advice though. I want the bastard to pay, but he's got something he's holding over her head and I'm not sure what it is, but she panicked enough to pass out."

Ana pulled back and looked at Christian, stroking his cheek and jaw as she stared into his eyes. For the last six years this, this is where she's wanted to be. It had to be a dream, because Ana had been living a nightmare for the last six months.

"If I can have some water, I think I can tell everyone what's going on." Ana's voice still sounded small, but at least she was ready to talk.

"We can move to my office or the living room if you'll be more comfortable there." Christian didn't want her panicking again and was determined to make her as comfortable as possible, so she would be free with her information. He didn't need her clamming up and keeping anything from him.

"No, we can stay here. I guess I should start at the beginning. When he asked me out, I was ecstatic. I was a freshman and he was a junior. I'd always been called mousy and nerdy. He was Pledge Master of his fraternity. I thought I was the luckiest girl on campus. I literally ran into him on the quad by my dorm. He'd invited me to a party at the frat house. I thought maybe as his date, but I never saw him that night. Mia had snuck out of the house to go with me, but even she disappeared on me for a while. When I found her, I grabbed her, and we left. About two weeks later, I saw him again and he asked why I didn't come. Apparently, he'd had been at the library studying and lost track of time. He didn't show up for the party till after we left. Or at least that's what he told me at the time. I know it's a lie now." Gail entered the room at that moment with a tray of drinks for everyone. She placed a hand on Taylor's arm as she walked by ready to leave the room when Ana spoke again.

"Hello. I'm Ana." Ana held out her hand to Gail and Christian had to shake his hand. Ana made friends with everyone.

"Gail Taylor." Gail shook her hand as she responded in kind. "I'll leave you all to it."

"You can stay. If you're the housekeeper Christian was telling me about, it might be good for you to know what's going on." Ana didn't want to tell the story more than once.

"It's okay. Jason can tell me everything later. I have to run to the store to get the list of things Mr. Grey gave me if you're going to make your 5 o'clock flight." A look at the digital alarm clock revealed that it was close to eleven pm now.

"Okay." Ana took small sips of the water she was provided with and she took a moment to collect her thoughts again. "We started dating officially after Christmas break and he was sweet and polite at first. Just before the school year ended, he started to pressure me for sex, but I explained I wasn't ready. He seemed okay with it. I thought all throughout our relationship he was okay with it. About a year ago, he started in with telling whenever I was doing something wrong. He would have me accompany him to dinners with clients when he wanted to play the family man part, and after each one he'd tell me I had embarrassed him. My mom even wanted to send me to a finishing school. I finally had enough last November when I found him in bed with his secretary." Ana had to cringe when she thinks about the fact that it was his desk the blonde was spread out on and not the bed.

"I tried to break up with him then. He spent a week screaming into my voicemail about how I was going to ruin everything he'd worked hard to build. When my mother found out, she screamed at me too. I didn't know then what I know now. She convinced me it was a one-time thing and to give him another chance. That it was my fault for not putting out. I still didn't talk to him till Christmas. He showed up for our family dinner and I had to play nice." Ana wipes the tears from her eyes and gets ready to tell them the worst of it. "I was so stupid, I believed it. I believed it was my fault and that it wouldn't happened again. My mother told me he was the best man I would ever find since I ran off Christian. I thought she was right."

Christian holds Ana's hand squeezing it for comfort. "I'm so sorry Ana. I apologize everyday for the rest of our lives. I was an idiot."

Ana shakes her head. "Not as big an idiot as I am. When he proposed on New Year's, I was shocked beyond belief. I said yes, but I think it was more from fear of being alone. A week later he had the engagement announcement in the paper and two weeks after that he was inside his new secretary across his desk again. I tried to call off the engagement then. That's when he sat me down and explained how things were going to go. I couldn't tell anyone, or he'd send everything to the media. Mia would hate me more than she already does, and my family would disown me." Ana tried her best not to break down into sobs, but she couldn't help it.

Christian held her in his arms and relished having her there again. Softly rubbing along her arms, Christian does his best to reassure Ana and calm her.

"What do you mean that Mia would hate you more?" Carrick speaks up finally and is perplexed by what Ana is telling them.

Ana sniffles trying to calm herself once again. "I didn't know that he was at the frat party my freshman year, the one Mia snuck out to. He let me know that day that she was, and that he had been with her. Granted he didn't realize she was fifteen, but he recorded everything in his bedroom. He threatened to sell the sex tape of Christian's little sister to _The Nooz_. She pulled away after we started dating and I never understood why until then. If that video gets out because of me, she'll hate me forever."

"Ana, Mia was fifteen. She couldn't consent, that's statutory rape, and if you're telling me that he has it on video, then that's child pornography. He can't get away with that. Is that why you were marrying him?" Ana shakes her head no because there is more. Carrick is furious, but it's easier for him to think with his legal brain at the moment than with his dad brain.

"Not entirely. Turns out Ray Steele isn't my father. My mother lied to him. Of course, it also turns out the Carla Mae Wilkes doesn't exist anymore. She died when she was twelve from some kind of cancer. I don't know my mother's real name, but if I'm not at the country club tomorrow for our wedding, he's going to tell my father and my grandfather that I'm not a Steele and then he's going to the police and having my mother arrested for stolen identity. My mom may be a social climber, but she's still my mom. And I can't let him break my daddy's heart. I don't care what anyone says he's my daddy and no matter how many times I have the DNA tests done, he will still be my daddy."

"What about those bruises young lady?" Grace is standing hard as stone, she feels for Ana, but she's shaking inside with rage for the man that did this to her and to Mia.

"He did that when I didn't want to wear a certain dress tonight. It's the first time he's ever hit me, but he says I should expect it more as he trains me to be a proper Stepford wife. He called it domestic discipline." Ana kept her voice low and even. Her shame dropping from every word.

"Ana, sweetie, that's called domestic abuse. I've got a plan, but it might require you hiding for a little bit." Carrick's got outcome after outcome running through his head, but he thinks this is the best way to go.

"We were already planning to go to Lake Tahoe tomorrow and get married." Christian looks at his mom pointedly and shakes his head when he sees the smile plastered there. "Grandma gave me her ring before I went to London. She told me I would know what to do."

"Good. Christian call your security guy. We've got some plans to make. Does anyone know you're back in the country?" Carrick's wheels are turning.

Christian's smile is wider now as he looks down at Ana. Placing a small kiss to her forehead, he looks back to his father. "Only my security and the people in this room. All the penthouse cameras are running a prerecorded loop."

"Most Excellent. That will help. By the way you can't marry in Tahoe tomorrow. You have to wait 24 hours after picking up your license. That will give me time to make arrangements so that Grace and I can be there. I know a judge who will get you squared away tomorrow with the paperwork and can perform the ceremony on Sunday." With that Carrick pulls out his phone to start making calls and making his own plans. Everyone exits the bedroom leaving Christian and Ana alone once more.

"Christian, is it really going to be okay?" Ana looks at him timidly and he wants to kill the bastard all over again.

"I promise sweetheart. Our lives are going to be perfect from the minute we say I do." Christian was confident, but now he had to work on some plans of his own. He knew his dad would find every legal way of pulling Ana out from under her fiancé, although he shouldn't be called that anymore. She was marrying Christian. He sat there holding the love his life as he contemplated what he'd call the man when he finally came face to face with him and beat the shit of him. Maggot, no to tame. Bastard, no that's insult to every other bastard in the world. Yuppy Tosser. That would be how he referred to him from now on.

"There's one other thing Christian." Ana was hesitant to say anything in front of his parents, but she had to tell him the last piece.

"What is it baby?"

"His new secretary, it's Leila Williams. She has a picture of a child on her desk. A boy with red hair." It was Christian's turn to panic now.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Holy cow, you guys are an ego boost. This is chapter three and already there are 300+ of you following this story. There is an inner thought in the first chapter of this story, it is italicized with quotation marks. As always, the flashback is also italicized and marked.**

 **I must address a review from MrsAnastasiaGrey. Apparently, my last line in the previous chapter put her off my story. Leila's child is integral to this story, but you shouldn't jump to conclusions and assume to know where the story is going. I'm sorry to hear that you won't be continuing to follow the story, but that's your choice. This is not a story like so many others. Ana and Christian were childhood sweethearts till high school. This is a story where Elena Lincoln didn't get her hooks into Christian, Ana helped him with his haphephobia when they were younger. There are no subs or a long string of secret Submissives/girlfriends. This is a story where the backstory is told alongside the current happenings.**

 **Anyway, the story continues. Thank you to everyone who left kind and encouraging words. I appreciate it. I love writing, and I only hope that my writing continues to improve the more I do it. You've all stayed with me as I had to take a break this fall when my health issues rose up. I started writing last year because I was bound to a bed. Then I had to stop because I had no control over my nerves and literally no control of my arms. I was diagnosed with Peripheral Neuropathy and Essential Tremors as the beginning of this month. I have a severe vitamin B12 deficiency that isn't improving as much as it should with the supplements and shots. The lack of B12 has caused damage to my spinal cord and combine that with the damaged that my improperly treated bulging disk last year, has left with me with irreparable nerve damage. I will continue to write as long as I am able to. There may be some weeks where there is nothing posted. This chapter is the third chapter from my stories I've posted this week. This week has been a good week. Next week might be another story.**

 **So, in short, I don't own FSoG. I'm not trying to infringe on anyone's copyright and I hope that EL doesn't find me and decide to sue are all mine. No Beta.  
**

 **Enjoy. Laters.**

 **Unavowed**

May 18, 2018

"Ana, I need you to listen to me. I know what you believe happened in high school and I can't tell you how sorry I am. I'm going to finally explain some things like I should have done years ago. I need you to promise to hear me out though. Can you do that?" Ana wonders what Christian could possibly tell her. " _Oh God,"_ she thinks. " _He must already know that he has a child with Leila. This is where he tells me I'm going to be a step mother when I say 'I do."_

"I was a jerk that day at the lake. I didn't lie to you when I said that I love you and gave you that ring. However, I let Elliot and the all the guys on the team get into my head. When we started fooling around, I thought that would be it for us. I thought you had changed your mind. It seemed like I was the last player left on the football team still a virgin. Everyone was giving me a hard time. Elliot told me I should have bought a diamond if I wanted to get laid, but I knew it was the perfect ring. I regret everyday since then doing what I did. I let my emotions get the best of me and I shouldn't have walked away." Christian looks at Ana barely restraining the unshed tears in his eyes. His biggest regret in life was walking away from her and leaving her at their spot at the hidden lake behind his grandfather's property. "I did my best to avoid you for as long as I could while I tried to come up with a way to make it right. I knew I would never make it right though when I let Daniel talk me into to going to Seth's party after homecoming. I had a few beers and was finally feeling a little less lousy when Leila came up to me. She started touching me, and for a minute I closed my eyes and it felt good. But then I opened them and realized it wasn't you. I shoved her off me and ran upstairs to hide in one of the bedrooms. I'd snagged a bottle of vodka before I got there. I drank myself to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, Leila was standing next to the door and thanked me for finally dumping you. I jumped up and started to storm after her when she left the room. By the time she made it down stairs she'd ruffled her hair and done something to her shirt. She stopped in front of Seth and told him I was amazing in bed and next thing I knew she was telling everyone at school on Monday I was her boyfriend and we were sleeping together."

Ana's sat listening to him trying to keep her self calm but she's not sure exactly what it is he's telling her. "Ana, I promise you, I never had sex with Leila, it's why she finally left me alone. I wouldn't sleep with her, and at the end of the school year she seemed almost desperate to get me to have sex with her. Hell, I left her at the Prom because she got a hotel room. I couldn't do it. I know everyone thinks I'm a private one-night stand kind of guy, but Ana, I promise you it's not been like that for me."

"What do you mean Christian?" Ana sits and thinks, that means that the kid in Leila's pictures can't be Christian's kid. The relief Ana felt was almost instantaneous.

"I've had four dates since Leila and I split. Each one was more disastrous than other. I have never slept with any of them. However, I have to tell you that I'm not a virgin. I went to a party with my roommate our freshman year in college the week after you introduced me to that bastard. I got drunk and I know I had sex with a girl there, but I can't even tell you her name. I know she was blonde and a bitch the next morning, but that's when I realized I wouldn't be able to stay around. So, I decided to buckle down and work on my business plan. I got Grandpa to give me the startup loan for GEH and I put all my energy into it." The tears flow between the soon to be married couple. "I never stopped loving you Ana and I hated myself for what I did. Please forgive me. I've broken so many vows to you, but I promise I'll never break another one."

"Of course, I forgive you. We weren't together so there's really nothing to forgive. I love you Christian. We'll figure this out. One thing I do know is that we're going to need to keep our wedding a secret for a while and I don't know how to do that." Ana wants to be able to tell the world who her true love is, but she knows it could put people in danger. Whatever her former fiancé had planned, he's going to be mad and then he's going to get desperate. Ana knows she can't talk to her mother, but maybe she should talk to her father. He'd have some ideas on the security front. Although, Ana wonders how her mother had fooled him all these years. At first she didn't want to believe the information she'd been given, but an old Savannah High school yearbook and some childhood photos proved him correct.

The DNA test she'd had done in secret had been heartbreaking. Ana would gladly give up any claim to her trust fund and SIP if she can still call Ray Steele her father.

"Let's walk out and talk to my parents and Taylor and see what they've come up with." Christian offers Ana his hand and helps her form the bed. Venturing into his office, he sees his mother at the table by the credenza with a notepad and laptop in front of her. Taylor and Carrick are at Christian's desk going over something on his computer.

"Ah, son, I'm glad you and my lovely daughter could join us. Sit we've got a few things that are about to start happening." Carrick motions for Ana and Christian to sit in the chairs in front of the desk. Once sitting they look at the Grey patriarch for guidance. "I've contacted Judge Robbins. He's an old golfing buddy from when we're down at the lake. He's promised to open his clerk's office to get you in and out for the marriage license tomorrow. He's promised to keep it sealed too. The ceremony will be on Wednesday though. Your mother has come up with a few things I think you'll want to hear."

At this point, Grace had picked up her notepad and was standing with the rest of the party. "I've secured a meeting tomorrow afternoon for you two to meet with a florist and a cake decorator. Sunday, my favorite shop is opening up just for us so that we can get you a dress. Monday, Carrick is going set up everything from a legal standpoint. Here is the reason that we're waiting till Wednesday for the ceremony though." Grace looks toward Ana with as much love as she can muster. "No matter what is going to happen Ana, you want your father to walk you down the aisle. I know he's scheduled to go to San Diego for a conference on Tuesday and Wednesday. I think, if you can get him on the phone he'll keep quiet and can meet us there."

Ana starts to panic again, and Christian can see it. He's up out of his chair and is kneeling in front of her holding both of her hands. "Breathe baby. Deep breaths." Christian does his best to calm Anastasia holding her ocean gaze with his own stormy grey eyes. "Can you tell me what made you panic just now?"

"We'll have to tell Daddy. What if he doesn't want me after he knows? I'll have to tell him everything. I don't care if they take my trust fund because I'm not a Steele. I don't care if they decide I can't work at SIP either. I just don't want them to stop loving me Christian. That's my greatest fear. That no one will truly love me. If he finds out my mother lied to him and it's all a scam, he'll think I'm part of it and won't want me anymore."

Christian looks at Ana like she's grown two heads. "You really think that your dad would just stop loving you?"

"Why wouldn't he? My mother doesn't love me, you stopped loving me, Mia stopped loving me, Kate stopped loving me, and I know the man I was supposed to marry tomorrow doesn't love me. People see my family's money. There is someone that always wants something from me and when they don't get it, they don't love me anymore. Even you left me when I didn't give you what you want. What's to stop my dad from leaving me when he learns I'm not his biological daughter? What's to stop you from leaving me when you realize this is too much?" Ana's mind is swirling. She stands up. "This was a mistake. I need to get out of here. He'll figure it out. He's too smart not too. If he doesn't he'll use his family to get to everyone. I need to leave."

Ana leaves and does her best to rush past them and leave. She's trying to figure out how she's going to get out of town. She could buy a bus ticket to a few places and use a disguise to get out of the city. If he thinks she just got cold feet maybe he won't follow through with his threats. Then Ana remembers what happened to Kate when she crossed him last year. Jack was dead because of him. No, Ana would have to marry him to save her family from the grief.

"I can't do this Christian. I have to marry him. It's the only way. He'll destroy everyone I love. You don't know the things he's capable of. If he even suspects that I'm with you, he'll…" Ana looks at Christian and breaks into sobs. "Please Christian. You have to let me go." Christian gather Ana in his arms, stroking her hair, soothing her.

"I'm not letting you. Whatever you're scared of, I can protect you. He's not going to hurt you anymore." Christian doesn't know if there is more to what happened tonight, but he's determined he'll find out and destroy that man that ever thought to take his girl. Ana had always been his girl and always would be.

"I'm not worried about me. It's you and everyone else that I'm worried about. Kate left me because of him. Jack's dead because of him. He'll destroy you and everyone else I love if he doesn't get what he wants." Ana clings to Christian, trying to savor being in his arms for as long as she can.

Carrick, who had been silently watching, waiting for his detective friend to come show up and talk to her, speaks up finally. "Ana what do you mean Kate left and Jack is dead because of him? I thought Jack was killed by a hit and run driver while he was jogging, and Kate left because she couldn't deal with the grief of his death."

Ana shakes her head, "That's what they want everyone to believe." Thinking back to the day Kate told her she was going to visit her supposed family, Ana wonders why she never saw the clues that were there all along. She should have been a better friend. She should have protected Kate. She should have been able to help Jack. Jack would never know his son because of the Bastard. Emory, would never know his father or anyone from Seattle. Kate had to go into hiding. Now she's no longer Kate Kavanaugh. She's become Elizabeth Morgan.

* * *

 _April 2017_

 _"Kate, I'm so sorry. I just don't understand. Jack ran that route everyday for the last two years. I thought he took that path because he never saw a car there. And he always wore that ugly reflective belt. So, it's not like he wasn't seen. What did the police say?" Ana watched her friend on the verge of a panic attack._

 _"The police suspect it was a drunk driver. All they know is that a cherry red car hit him and broke its headlight. There wasn't any cameras near that could pick up anything. The only reason they found him is because some girl on the track team that decided to take that route today. Coroner said he probably died around 6:30 this morning. He left the apartment at 5 o'clock. He wasn't that far along the route when he was hit. It took him thirty minutes to bleed out and then he laid in the grass for two hours before he was found." Kate tries to stick to the facts. She knows better though._

 _That Bastard told her he would do something like this if she didn't get him what he wanted. She had thought he was bluffing. She had been thinking of her own future when she told him to go to hell. She thought the worse he would do was rough her up a little. She didn't think he would kill the man she loved. She didn't think he would kill the father of her baby. She had just told Jack the night before that they were pregnant. He'd been ecstatic and promised to marry her and take care of them. Ana had gotten her grandfather to give him a paid internship at SIP, and he had a small trust fund so they would be fine while he worked his way up the publishing ladder._

 _Kate feared telling anyone. She needed to make a plan to leave. She could change her name and move. She'd leave and make a plan to come back and take him down eventually, but now she had to think of her unborn child. She would have to keep him a secret, he'd be in the most danger if Ana's boyfriend found out about him._

 _"Ana, I think after the funeral, I'm going to go visit some family in North Carolina for a while. I love you, be safe please."_

 _Kate knew she couldn't tell Ana anything. She'd be in danger as well. Ana was a smart girl. She'll figure it out after she leaves, and she can make a break from him._

 _Ana helped Kate make it through the rest of the week and when she was ready to leave, Ana helped her pack and load her car. Kate had decided to drive instead of fly there. Kate had been gone two days when Ana's boyfriend finally came to visit. He'd been in New York on business, or so she thought, and he'd just heard about Jack's death and wanted to check on Kate. Ana told her she left to visit family, but he knew that it was a lie. She was running. He would give her some time and then he would find her._

 _"Let's go to dinner." Ana grabbed her sweater and followed him outside. She didn't recognize the car he had when they got to the parking lot._

 _"Whose car is this?" Ana looked at the flashy Fiat spider._

 _"Oh, someone hit the R8 and busted in the front end last week. I decided to just trade it in. What do you think?" He actually sold it to a chop shop. He didn't want anyone connecting his car to the hit and run._

 _"I like the dark blue better than the red." Ana got in the car and waited for him to join her. It took Ana ten months to find out what really happened and why Kate left and never came back._

* * *

Present Day

"He was driving the car that killed Jack. I don't have any proof other than his boastful confession when I confronted him. He laughed like a mad man. It was most frightened I've ever been. You have to understand Christian, I don't think that I could bear anything happening to anyone else. Kate is consumed with guilt. She found a way to contact me when she heard of the engagement, she thought I'd have broke up with him on my own. She's scared for me, but she can't risk him finding her and…" Ana can't finish. She can't tell them about Emory. He's an innocent baby. She doesn't even want to think what could happen to him. "I don't know what to do Christian. What do I do? I don't want anything to happen to you or my dad."

"Ana, I know you don't want to file a police report, but I have a detective on the way. He specializes in cases of domestic abuse. We need to talk to him. He can open an investigation quietly. Let him and Grace see what's happened to you and document it. We might need proof later on. Then get some sleep. Grace and I will go to the wedding tomorrow like we don't know anything going on. We'll join you in Tahoe on Sunday morning. We were going to go to New York, but I think a relaxing week at my mother in law's cabin will be perfect." Carrick speaks in a soothing manner, hoping to convince Ana it's best to stay with Christian.

"Ana please, don't leave me. Let me help you. We need to know everything and then we can protect you." Christian does his best to reassure Ana that this is the best course of action.

"I don't think you can stop him. I don't think it will be as easy as you think. Not when he's working for Elena Lincoln."

Everyone in the room gasped. They thought Elena Lincoln had left Seattle years ago. The Lincoln family was the biggest crime family ten years ago. When Elena's husband was taken into custody for killing his pregnant mistress, rumor was that Elena took the family fortune and ran away. Word was that Richard Lincoln decided to cut a deal with the feds in exchange for witness protection and he was killed in a shower attack before he could be transported to protective lock up.

"Are you sure Ana?" Taylor is looking skeptically at Ana. He'd heard about the Lincolns a few years ago.

"I saw her myself. She's the one that gave me the information on my mother and made me agree to marry him. I think my mom might be a Lincoln." Ana's tears finally spilled over and she buried her head in Christian's chest.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Fingers crossed FFN works properly today. Those of you following my other stories, you know that last week I was the featured author in a group on Facebook, Top Five FSOG Stories. Yesterday my story Steele Hearts was awarded third place in their February poll for new Authors. Nomination are open for March's poll. I'm urging you to join the group and follow the authors within the group and show your support. We try to lift up everyone, whether in the group or not.**

 **Grey Vitals will get a chapter before the end of the week and Submissive Beginning's conclusion is coming within the week as well. I've finally overcome the writers block and turmoil that I was experiencing with completing the story in a way so not to traumatize readers.**

 **Keep watch in the coming month for updates. They will not be regular as I set up my own blogger site and prepare to move my stories there. I have not decided whether I will post all of my stores to both sites or some of them be exclusive to the blog. That's still a month away though.**

 **I want to thank you all for the reviews, the favorites and follows. I think this story was receieved better than even Grey Vitals was. I don't know how long it will be yet, but I know where it's going to end at and how it's going to get there. I just don't know how many side trips we're taking yet.**

 **Also, I don't own FSoG, I also don't own The Princess Bride. Hopefully neither EL James or William Goldman will sue me for copyright infringement. None is intended. All mistakes are mine. No Beta.**

 **Laters**

* * *

 **Unavowed**

 **Chapter 4**

"Why do you think that Carla is a Lincoln?" Carrick has gone into full attorney mode now. Everyone is staring almost wide eyed at Ana as she tries to adjust herself in her seat. Ana looks down at her hands knotted in her lap before she responds.

"Elena Lincoln is the one that came to me and showed me my mother's high school yearbook from Georgia. I didn't know my mother had ever been to Georgia, let alone grew up there until she moved to Washington and changed her name. According to the information they showed me, when she assumed Carla's identity, she changed her age and made herself three years younger as well. The childhood photos of my mother with people I don't know, I saw Richard Lincoln in the background with several other men. Mom looked like she was thirteen in the photo. They were at a beach somewhere. I assumed it was a family vacation or reunion or something. I just don't know how Elena Lincoln could have all this information and why her husband would be in the background of those photos if she wasn't a Lincoln herself." Ana looks at Christian and her pleading eyes rip out his heart.

"Ana this doesn't change anything for you and I. I just need to tell my guy to dig up everything he can. The more we know the better. You've seen, knowledge is power. If we know what they know, they have no power over you. And yes, we will have to tell your father. What that causes to his relationship with your mother won't matter here. What will matter is that, if I know Raymond Steele and I do, he won't stop loving you. You will still be his daughter. You're an adult now so there is no one that can come out of the shadows and claim you and take you away from him. Ray won't push you away either. You have to know how much he loves you." Christian reached for Ana's hands imploring her to understand what he was saying to her.

"Do you know why they might have told you all this? Surely the supposed video of Mia was enough to keep you in line." Christian growls at Carrick's choice of words.

"I was going to go to Mia and tell her. I thought she was so young he would get himself into more trouble. I think he knew it wasn't enough. But finding out my father wasn't my father and that my mother might be linked the biggest crime family this side of Chicago, that made me get with his program." Ana looks up at Christian and gives him a soft, small smile. A smile that she's ever only shown him. "As for why he's doing this, I thought at one time, he would want to sell SIP when I get ownership. Then I remembered he gets immediate access to all of SIP's accounts. He becomes the financial advisor for my grandfather's company and I think he might want to use SIP to launder or embezzle money."

Christian is sick at the stomach thinking of why might have become of Ana's life if she were to marry the tosser tomorrow. Before they can talk anymore, one of Taylor's men, Sawyer, enters and tells them that a Detective Clark is there to see them.

"Ana, you and Grace go back to Christian's bedroom and speak with the detective. You tell him anything and everything. Tell him about the blackmail, even the video. If it does exist, then that's probably the most severe crime we can hit him with. Don't be afraid to hold back. The detective will keep everything sealed and won't file a complaint until you're ready." Ana nods her head at Carrick and stands. Before she leaves Christian places a kiss to her cheek and steps back to watch Grace lead her from the room.

"Son, we're going to need to talk to Ray ASAP. We can't contact him before tomorrow though. We need his actions to be genuine. An hour after the wedding, I will call him though."

Christian, who has started to pace the floor while the women are out of the room, tugs on his hair as he looks up at his father. "I'm okay with waiting to tell Ray. I am not okay with Mom's plan for us to get married on Wednesday. I don't think it's safe. I think we need to get married as soon as we can. If we have to wait 24 hours after getting the license, then I think 25 hours is an hour to long."

"We'll see what we can do. By the time you have the paperwork in hand, Ray will know what is going on. We can ask for his opinion on the matter."

"Dad, I don't think you all seem to understand. The only opinion that matters is Ana's and mine. We don't give a shit about anyone else. I'm going to be honest. The minute you all leave I'm going to ask her what she truly wants. I want her to tell me what she wants, not what she thinks everyone else wants. If that means my security men are the witnesses to our wedding and our parents show up to interrupt our honeymoon instead of prepare for our wedding, then so be it. She has done everything she's been told to do for years. Not once has her opinion and desires been taken into account. I'm not going to continue in that matter." Christian is getting red in the face, the vein in his forehead throbbing. He's pissed thinking of the things that she's had to endure. Thinking of the things that were yet to come if she went through with tomorrow's plans. "Taylor, have you set everything up?" Christian turns his back on his father to address the man that he trusts more than anyone, except Ana.

"I have. Sawyer and I will fly with you and Ana in the morning. We will need to leave at 4 am, the flight is leaving at five on a chartered jet registered in one of our aliases' names. Sawyer and I will ride in the vehicle to the private airfield south of Seattle, Ryan and Reynolds will ride behind us in a separate vehicle. They will drive the cars back to the garage. Once they've completed that task, they will resume watch over Escala and Gail. I've contacted a former marine buddy that owns a private security company in California. Two of his men will meet us at the private airfield in Carson City. According to the gps, it will take us 35 minutes from there to reach your grandparents' cabin." Taylor, stoic as always, stands ready for his next set of instructions.

"Thank you, Taylor. When the detective leaves and once Gail returns, you should retire for the night. Let Ryan or Reynolds hold down the fort while we all get some rest." Taylor just nods to his boss before he leaves the room.

"I have a decoy in London. He'll go out tomorrow and make sure he's scene, from the back and side at least. He'll order room service, use my credit card at Harrah's to purchase gifts for mom and Mia. He won't know that I was here. I can't let him know. I don't know what we'll do to explain Ana's disappearance." Christian plops himself in his chair behind his desk and looks at his dad for advice.

"We'll ask Ray. There is plenty of time to figure out what you will say about where she was. I want to know how you will handle the return home. You're due in from London on the GEH jet on Friday night. And what about her? How are you going to have her return, where are you going to have her return to?" These were all the things they hadn't figured out yet. Frankly all Christian wanted to focus on was making Anastasia Rose Steele finally Anastasia Rose Grey. If he hadn't fucked up in high school, Christian is convinced they would already be married.

"I don't know. I don't want to be separated from her, but if we have to keep the marriage a secret, then we're going to have to deal with the pretense of living apart. We're going to need to be seen separately. I won't be able to take her to the Coping Together Gala next month. I won't be able to take her to my club for dinner. I won't be able to attend her book launch parties. It's going to be difficult, but I'm convinced we will figure it out." Christian doesn't have it all figured out for once, and it makes him extremely nervous to keep so many balls in the air.

Before he can dwell on it more, Ana and Grace return with Detective Clark. "I've taken her statement, as well as a statement from Grace. Mr. Grey, Ms. Steele tells me that you saw the bruising first and she told you what happened. I need you to tell me what she told you. Just to corroborate." Christian nods and the detective takes Ana's once vacated chair.

As Christian begins to tell the Detective what he saw and what Ana told him, he looks at her every few seconds to see how she's doing. Grace is sitting next to Ana on the couch, holding her hand and rubbing her upper back. Soon the detective starts to put his notepads away and the camera as well. "I'll write up my report over the weekend. I'll have the images printed and tagged. Once I've done that, I will seal the file and turn it over to the DA. I will be able to continue to investigate secretly, but you'll also be able to call at any time and file charges. We'll be able to keep your name off the reports as well until he's arrested. He has the right to face his accuser, so once he's formally charged and his lawyer requests discovery, they'll learn the name of the victim. If anything else happens, don't hesitate to call me." Once again, the detective nods his head at the men, and makes sure to leave a card with Ana on his way out.

Ana is silently crying next to Grace. Christian studies her for a moment before he recognizes she's embarrassed and ashamed. Christian moves toward her and wraps her in his arms, lifting her from the couch and placing her petite body in his lap. "I promise I'm going to make this all right. Everything will be the way we pictured it at 14. We're going to get married and have our happily ever after. We'll have the house we always dreamed of, children, and our careers. Most importantly though, we'll have each other Ana. I love you baby and I'm not letting you go."

Carrick and Grace watch their son, the one they thought would never find love again. They had prayed for years for the two to reconcile. Grace and Carrick knew, as Raymond Steele always did as well, that Christin and Ana belonged together. They watched now as the love they once had begins to bloom and become something bigger than either of them had ever seen. "Come Gracie. I think we need to leave these two alone for now. We'll see them in Tahoe." Grace and Carrick made a silent retreat and left the apartment.

Christian finally calmed Ana and noticed that she had fallen asleep in his lap, comforted in his arms. He carried her to their bedroom and he made quick work of her jeans and t-shirt, changing her into one of his shirts so sleep in. Once she was settled Christian took a quick shower and brushed his teeth before joining her in the bed. With the alarm set, he let sleep take him under.

That night Christian dreamed of the day Ana finally claimed they would be getting married and was serious about it. They'd been telling people for years that they would marry when they grew up. But when you hear an eight-year-old say that, you think nothing of it. A fourteen-year-old saying it makes you stand a little straighter and panic a little.

* * *

 _March 2010_

 _Christian and Ana were once again down by the lake under their large willow tree watching the wind create waves on the water. They'd brought a picnic, a large blanket, and a book. Ana was laying down on the blanket, after having her fill of the food Grace packed for them. Her head was in Christian's lap as he ran his fingers through her hair while watching the water, listening to her voice read the book aloud to him._

 _"Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches…I have stayed these years in my hovel because of you. I have taught myself languages because of you. I have made my body strong because I thought you might be pleased by a strong body. I have lived my life with only the prayer that some sudden dawn you might glance my direction. I have not known a moment in years when the sight of you did not send my heart careening against my ribcage. I have not known a night when your visage did not accompany me to sleep. There has not been a morning when you did not flutter behind my waking eyelids…I love you. Okay? Want it louder? I love you. Spell it out should I? I ell-oh-vee-ee why-oh-you. Want it backward? You love I." Ana read the passage with passion. She raised her voice when appropriate and made it soft when she thought Westley would soften his as he spoke to Buttercup._

 _"That's me. I'm Westley." Christian had listened to the passage and he marveled at the girl next to him. "I love you like that. You're my Princess Bride, my Buttercup."_

 _"I want to marry you Christian. Not like a joke, but for real. I want to be your wife when we're older. I want to have a family with you and live in a house down the street from our parents. I want our children to be able to run to Grandma Grace after school for milk and cookies. They'll ride their bikes to Papa Ray to join him on impromptu fishing trips. I want to marry you." Ana places the book upside down creasing the pages instead of adding a bookmark. She sets up quickly and Christian is moves to cup her cheek._

 _"I love you too Ana. I want all that. When we graduate I'm going to propose and we'll go to college together. We'll graduate and as you prepare to join your grandfather at SIP, I'll build my company. We will do it all together and as we do it we'll have the wedding of your dreams. Whatever you want, buttercup." Christian placed a kiss to her lips then and threaded his fingers through her hair._

* * *

May 2018

Christian was wrenched from his dream of that day by the lake. The Princess Bride was still one of his favorite books and he watch the movie near weekly, even after he and Ana broke up. The shrill sound of his phone ringing brought him around. He looked to see that Ana was still sleeping and sat up to grab the phone. Taking note of the current time and remembering the time difference in London, Christian answers in a voice hiding his previous sleeping state.

"Grey." He hopes the brusque tone belies any question about where he is.

"12 hours Grey." The voice on the other end laughed. "12 hours and you will officially be declared the loser. She'll be my wife. She's going to say I do and say yes to everything else I tell her to do. She's going to be mine and you're halfway around the world and unable to stop it. What do you say to that?" He's taunting Christian and as much as he hates to hear his words, he knows Ana loves only him.

"She might say I do, but she doesn't love you like she loves me. She might become your wife, but she's always going to compare you to me and you're never going to live up to the standard. Face it, you're not winning. You're the runner up."

"Shut the fuck up Grey." The voice of the tosser growled into the speaker as he continued to taunt Christian. "I always win. You'll see. In 12 hours she's going to become Mrs…"

Christian threw his phone against the wall before he could hear him say his name. He would never hear Ana referred to as anyone other than Mrs. Grey.


	6. Chapter 5

3/30/2018

 **A/N: This isn't the longest chapter, but it's got some useful info at the end. I know this was the only update this month, and it'll be sometime in the last half of April before there is another update. I'm participating in Camp NaNoWriMo in April and working on an original story. You can look around the 16th of the month to see it posted as a FSoG FanFic, but it will only be posted for a few weeks. I will update it daily as I move forward with it until it's complete. Once it's been on FFN for a few days, it's coming down for final editing before it's listen in the kindle store on Amazon. Starting next month, you can look for Falling Undercover, featuring an Ana and Christian that I've never written before.**

 **Today is my one-year anniversary on FFN as an author. Its been a wonderful year for me for the most part. I feel like I've grown in my writing, and my health is reaching a good point. Just today my doctor called me with wonderful news. My treatments are going so well that my arms and hips get a few weeks break from the shots. I feel confident that I can accomplish my 60K word goal next month. Steele Love, Grey Vitals, and Unavowed will rotate each week to get an update.**

 **Now to the sad part of my news. I've deleted Submissive Beginning from FFN. It was a difficult decision, but I couldn't take the negative guest reviews anymore. I usually delete and ignore, but the last one was nastier than I'm use to. I feel like I've failed as a writer with that story. It was going in a direction that I couldn't write. I've been blocked and every time I get going, I end up deleting every word I've written. I don't want to disappoint you, the readers. So, I'm going to step back completely from it for the next month. Then I'm going to go back through it, line by line, chapter by chapter. I'm going to reedit and hopefully that will let me write the ending I want. I don't know if I'll post it back to FFN or if I'll change some things and turn it into an original work for kindle. I'll let you know.**

 **As for the blogger page I've been setting up, I'm not a website designer, and no matter how friendly those sights tell you they are, it's complicated moving everything over. I'm likely going to scrap the whole thing and set something up under my new pen name for Falling Undercover. I have no grand allusions that I'm going to be the next Nora Roberts, or James Patterson, but even when I was in high school I always pictured my name on the cover of a book. I'm going to make it happen, and Amazon's direct publish will let me do that. So be on the lookout. I'll let you know when I've got it done.**

 **Anyway, I don't own FSoG, EL James does, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed she doesn't sue me for this. All the mistakes are my own, no beta.**

 **Laters,**

* * *

 **Unavowed**

Recap:

Christian was wrenched from his dream of that day by the lake. The Princess Bride was still one of his favorite books and he watch the movie near weekly, even after he and Ana broke up. The shrill sound of his phone ringing brought him around. He looked to see that Ana was still sleeping and sat up to grab the phone. Taking note of the current time and remembering the time difference in London, Christian answers in a voice hiding his previous sleeping state.

"Grey." He hopes the brusque tone belies any question about where he is.

"12 hours Grey." The voice on the other end laughed. "12 hours and you will officially be declared the loser. She'll be my wife. She's going to say I do and say yes to everything else I tell her to do. She's going to be mine and you're halfway around the world and unable to stop it. What do you say to that?" He's taunting Christian and as much as he hates to hear his words, he knows Ana loves only him.

"She might say I do, but she doesn't love you like she loves me. She might become your wife, but she's always going to compare you to me and you're never going to live up to the standard. Face it, you're not winning. You're the runner up."

"Shut the fuck up Grey." The voice of the tosser growled into the speaker as he continued to taunt Christian. "I always win. You'll see. In 12 hours she's going to become Mrs…"

Christian threw his phone against the wall before he could hear him say his name. He would never hear Ana referred to as anyone other than Mrs. Grey.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Summer 2011

"I already told you Christian. I want to wait until we're married or at least old enough to deal with the consequences of having sex." Ana was getting frustrated with her boyfriend. He'd just turned fifteen last month and he's been like a dog in heat since.

"What do you mean Ana? I'm the only virgin left on the football team. I'm the starting quarterback for the upcoming season, even the third string is getting laid." Christian was frustrated. Every time is saw Ana or even thought of kissing her pretty pink lips, he was standing hard and at attention. He physically ached with the need to be inside of her.

"Birth control fails Christian. Condoms break. Neither of us are old enough to get jobs to buy diapers. What would you do if I turned up pregnant in three months? Live with your mom and dad and mow lawns in exchange for formula?" Ana had this same conversation in her head with him many times. Usually when he started in, he wasn't so pushy. She knew eventually she'd have to be frank with Christian. Ana wasn't deluding herself about being a virgin until she graduated college. She just didn't want to sneak around behind their parents' backs and she didn't want to risk being a teenage statistic.

"Don't be silly, you'll breastfeed." Of course, that was what he focused on. Ana shook her head. They had to do a study last year for biology on the effects of breastmilk versus formula. When they'd found a particular article in some medical science magazine, Christian had promptly made her promise to breast feed all their future children.

"I'd still need to go to school though. That would mean that they'd need formula, because I can't take a baby to school and I can't run out of a history exam to pump."

"Fine. So, what you are saying is when we can deal with diapers and baby food without the parents' help, we can have sex?" Christian looked hopeful. Ana hoped that she didn't regret what she was about to say to him.

"It would help if we didn't have to sneak out to the lake to be alone to do it as well."

"So, I need to wait till we can get our own place is what you're saying?"

Ana giggled to herself and shook her head. "I'd like to be in a bed for the first time, and not lie to our parents to do it."

Christian released a sigh of frustration, running his hand through his hair. "So, what can we do until then?"

"We can continue as we have been. If I say stop, we stop."

Now Christian's smile reappeared. "So, I can still touch you?"

Ana moved closer to Christian. "Same rules as before. You can touch my backside, but not the front below my waist. Above the waist if fair game."

Christian moved closer to Ana, almost hovering over her with his posture. "Can I take your shirt off?"

"On a day when I'm wearing a bra."

"Will you touch me Buttercup?"

"I'll touch your ridiculously fine back side, but I'm not touching the front of your pants yet." Christian smiled when he heard the yet at the end of that statement.

Christian moves over Ana forcing her to lay back on the blanket. Stretching over her, Christian settled himself between her legs, resting his weight at the juncture of her thighs. Yes, this would do for now for him. If a dry hump was all she was willing to give him, he would have to take it and deal with the messy underwear later.

"Is this okay?"

Ana nodded her head, "Yeah." Her voice was soft, and her eyes were shining with bliss.

"Can I take my shirt off? I want to feel you touch my skin." Christian tried to keep his gaze locked with hers. Her eyes filling with her proclaimed happy tears. She was speechless, only able to nod her head. She moved her hands to his waist grasping the hem of his shirt pushing it up.

Once Christian's shirt was removed, Ana's hands moved to his shoulders. Slowly, and with a soft touch, she dragged her finger tips down the front of his chest. The further south her hands moved, the firmer she touched him. When she reached just above the waistband of his shorts, Ana moved her hands around to his back. With a smile on her lips, Ana gripped Christian's skin even tighter as she trailed her hands further south, pulling Christian's hard body into hers.

Christian smiled and lowered his face to her neck. Breathing her in, Christian picked up the scent of honeysuckle that seemed ingrained in her skin. Placing small kisses up her neck and around her jaw, he stopped to look in her eyes, "I can live with this." Then Christian kissed Ana like never before.

* * *

May 2018

Sitting up in bed looking at his shattered phone lying on the ground, Christian ponders where everything started to go wrong between him and Ana. He shouldn't be too upset, they were just kids, hell they still were really. They were each only 21, but he felt years older, after everything he'd done and accomplished in the hopes of proving himself and winning her back.

Christian hadn't lied when he had told her he could live with her arbitrary rules. He just didn't count on the locker room talk that started once the season started or the daily taunts from his brother. Just weeks before homecoming, he'd been razzed for not having sealed the deal yet. He'd screwed up royally that day he gave her his promise ring. A promise that he had immediately broken. Christian vowed to do better this time.

Ana would dictate the pace of things. If she wanted to wait till they had been married for five years before she finally allowed him to make love to her, then Christian would wait patiently for her. Thinking about their marriage, Christian wonders what they will do when they return home form the honeymoon. How will they live, where will they live? Ana said the prick would likely be watching him, looking for her. He would have to let the security team get creative.

That's what he needs. He needs to get Taylor to hire a whole crew to protect her. Round the clock, two at a time. One should probably be a female, so she can go into the bathroom with her. Christian wonders what it would take to get Bruce Steele to let him plant someone within his employee roster.

Noting the time, Christian wonders where the hours passed to. He'd been sitting up in bed imaging the life he and Ana would have once this was all taken care of. He just needed to ensure she would be safe and that they could be together. He can see it, just like she'd mention once before. He'll find a house close to their parents'. Their daughter will spend afternoons baking and playing toy doctor with Grace. Their son will ride a bike to Ray's house and he'll come home smelling of fish and hiding rolly pollies in his pockets, because bugs are so cool. Christian wanted it all, but he only ever wanted it with Ana.

Looking at the woman in bed next to him, in his shirt and boxer briefs, Christian leans over her to kiss her cheek. Her smile gives away her awake nature. "Morning."

"Good morning Buttercup. We need to get around." Soon both are up and moving around the bedroom preparing for their day. Christian notices the ease of which Ana moves around him. It feels natural, her being here. Christian leaves her to find Taylor and brief him about the phone call he received early in the morning. Hopefully there is a replacement phone left in their stockpile still.

Finding Taylor in his office, Christian enters and shuts the door behind him. Giving a brief summery of the call just hours ago, Taylor takes note and sends the information off to Welch. He will track everything the bastard does today. When Christian plants the remains of his phone on the desk, Taylor is quick to reach into the drawer of the credenza behind him and pull another phone out for him. "Try and make this one last. Barney says that the next order will take a few weeks and there is only two left in there." Hearing Taylor say that, Christian realizes just how often he throws his phone in frustration.

They leave to meet the women in the kitchen, where Ana and Gail are discussing the upcoming trip. When Ana learned that Gail and Taylor were married she insisted on Gail coming with us, but Taylor is quick to remind her that the place will be watched and if Gail leaves she might be followed.

Ana's drops the discussion and soon the pair are in the SUV and headed to the airport.

"Christian, when your mom and dad make it to Tahoe, can you talk to them? I don't really want to wait till Wednesday. I have a bad feeling and I think we need to be married as soon as we can. We can have another ceremony here in Seattle with the rest of the family and celebrate after this is all over." Christian nods his head in agreement, as much as he's thankful for what his mother was doing, he doesn't think that waiting is in their best interest either.

"I think we can do that. You'll have to be fast this afternoon to get a dress and flowers. Do we need anything else? I can arrange for a nice dinner and small cake tomorrow evening by the water or at one of the restaurants in town if you want." Christian wants to give her everything she's ever desired, but he doesn't want to wait forever to plan. Those details are unimportant to him as long as Ana is standing in front of the justice of the peace next to him.

"Dinner out and a small cake sounds good." As the pair continue to discuss their trip, including taking his grandmother's prized pontoon boat out so that they can swim and fish, Taylor's phone rings, the Bluetooth immediately picking up and blasting the caller's voice through the vehicle's sound system.

"T, you've got a tail. We ran the plates, but they come back to a dummy cooperation. I can't tell you who owns it. I've already called Welch and Barney. Welch said it would take a day to dig behind the screens to find the real owner." Whoever was on the other line, continued to talk strategy with Taylor, until finally Taylor shut all their ideas down.

"This guy has been behind us since we left the penthouse. He's not being aggressive, he just seems to be surveilling. I say we pull in and surround him and see what we wants. At the least, we stall him so that I can get the birds in their cage. At best, we find out who he's working for without Welch wasting a day. I'm taking the exit about five miles up. There is an abandoned strip mall just off the exit. We pull in there and surround him. I can only see one behind the wheel."

"That's all we've detected so far T. How aggressive are we going to get?"

"Let's see what they do when I try to lose them. Stick with them." With that Taylor disconnects the call and presses his foot to the floorboard. Ana and Christian are pushed back into their seats. The highway is deserted at this time of day, and swerving to avoid them is pointless. But when Taylor catches the sight of a gunshot in his side mirror, he pulls the suv to the right to avoid the gunshot that rings out. Soon another shot rings and Taylor hears the ding on his dashboard. The piece of shit is aiming for his tires. Good thing Mr. Grey has a hard on for safety. They utilize the same tires, bullet proofing panels and windows the secret service does for the presidential motorcade. Bullets aren't going to stop them.

Ana is frightened and crying in her seat huddled next to Christian. He's laid out over her, trying to protect her from further gunshots should the shooter aim for inside the vehicle. Quickly they're on the exit and pulling into the lot. Taylor and Sawyer jump from the car and move around the back. Christian tried to force Ana to stay down, but she's not having it. She's sure this is someone working for her fiancé, and she won't let any of these men put their lives on the line for her.

Before Christian can stop her, Ana is scrambling out of the car and she sees five men surrounding one. Christian is out after her, pulling her behind him and trying to push her back in when he hears the voice of the man shooting at them.

"Let her go and I won't bring fire and brimstone down on ya. I only want her safe. Let her go and we can forget this ever happened." Ana stiffens, thinking she recognizes the voice, but unable to move around Christian to see who it is.

"We only want her safe as well. You can tell that bastard he's never going to win. I don't give a shit anymore, she's mine and no else is taking her from me again." Christian is furious that they didn't find this tail sooner and lose him before it came to this. They were meant to sneak away before he learned that she'd even left her parents' home.

"I'm telling you that you and your toy soldiers don't want to mess with me and mine. I may be the only one here at the moment, but how long do you think that will really last? Hmmm, amigo. You think that you can really snatch her and not suffer the consequences pendejo?" Ana groaned when she placed the voice finally.

"Stop. He's not going to hurt me." Ana finally moves around Christian, she's stunned him with her declaration. Moving quickly, trying to slip between Taylor and one of his other men, Ana confirms her suspicions.

"Jose, what are you doing here?"

"Querida, your father had me watching you, hoping that you'd need an escape before tomorrow's nuptials." The latin man moved to Ana, still not holstering his gun before engulfing her in a one-armed hug. "You gonna tell me what's going on?"

"Jose," Ana grabs his hand and pulls the man toward Christian, practically shoving Taylor out of the way to get to him. "This is Christian Grey. The man I was meant to marry. Wanna help me accomplish that?"

"Honey, your father would have me do anything to get you away from that Kavanaugh bastard. He'll be happy to see the two of you have pulled your heads out of your asses."


End file.
